Anchoring wheeled gun-carriages to the ground.



.J. A. DEPORT. ANGHORLNG WHBBLED GUN OARRIAGES TO THE GROUND.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1907.

910,794. Patented Jan. 26, 1909.

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AN GHOBING WHEELED GUN OARRIAGES TO THE GROUND. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.21, 1907.

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, J. A, DEPORT. ANGHORING WHEELED GUN GARRIAGES TO THE GROUND.APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1907.

91 0,794. Patented Jan. 26,1909.

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ANCHOBING WHEELED GUN-CARRIAG-ES TO THE GROUND.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osnrn ALBERT DE- PORT, a citizen of the Republicof France, residing-in Paris, France, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Anchoring Wheeled Gun- Carriages to the Ground,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a mode of anchoring to the ground the carriageof a gun mounted on wheels, for the purpose of insuring its stability infiring and to avoid vertical displacements and displacements of thedirection of fire. The vertical displacements are actually due to theprogressive advance of the trail spade into the ground and to the factthat the spade is only properly seated after a certain number of roundshas been fired. Displacements of direction arise from the absence ofmeans for anchorin laterally the gun carriage the wheels of which slideon the sloping ground. To avoid these two inconveniences I have inventeda gun carriage having a trail spade which will insure, even before thegun is fired, a satisfactory seating of the trail and also lateralanchoring devices arranged on the sides of the shield, which devicesentirely prevent lateral displacement of the carriage. This mode ofanchoring a gun carriage at the trail and at the shield of the frontpart, insures stability of the piece both at the beginning of firing andin the course thereof, an essential condition for rapidity of firing andfor the efiiciency of rapid firing.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinFigures 1 and 2 are part elevations of the trail of a gun carriagehaving a spade constructed in the manner hitherto usual; Fig. 3 is anelevation of a field gun having its trail constructed according to myinvention; Fig. 4': is a plan of the gun'carriage, the gun and itscradle having been removed; Fig. 5 is a vertical section drawn to anenlarged scale through the trail and spade; Figs. 6, 7 and 8 arerespectively a part side elevation, part plan and an end elevation of atrail provided with two s ades; Fig. 9 is an elevation of a gun provi edwith a blade for preventing lateral displacement according to myinvention; Fig. 10 is a plan thereof, the gun and its cradle having beenremoved; Fig. 11 is a vertical section through the shield of the gun,drawn to an enlarged scale; Fig. 12 is a front view, showing the lowerhinged shield provided with a central blade; Fig. 13 is a Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed September 21, 1907.

Patented Jan. 26, 1909.

Serial No. 393,959.

like view of the lower shield provided with two blades; Fig. 14 is an elvation of a gun having front blades in accordance with this invention.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the former shows the position of thewell-known spade before the gun is fired and Fig. 2 the position incourse of the firing. These spades which may be fixed or jointed consistof a point A inclined rearwardly which is progressively forced into theground by the recoil, roducing a sort of embankment on which t ehorizontal shoe ought to be firmly supported in order that the spade mayhave a proper bearing. But the embankment formed has but little firmnessand a certain number of shots must be fired before the spade is properlyseated. Moreover, owing to its rearward inclination the point of thespade has a tendency to penetrate further into the ground, in the mannerof the plowshare. These inconveniences are remedied by making the spadeto slide in the trail in the direction substantially normal to theresultant of the forces exerted by the gun on the carriage when theformer is fired at a small elevation, this direction being substantiallyor approximately normal to the beam of the carriage. This spade isdrivenhome before firing, by striking it with a mallet to a depthvarying with the resistance of the ground. The spade and its shoe thusimmediately find a bearing upon the virgin soil at an angle the mostsuitable for the resistance of the ground and are thus at once pro erlyseated, so that the corrections of the e evation of the gun are avoidedor reduced to a considerable deree.

b In Figs. 3, 4 and 5, C is the field gun having a long recoil on itscradle D carried by the beam E which. is pivoted on the axle J andterminates in the trail shoe F which in action rests on the ground. Thespade consists of a steel blade G of suitable dimensions strengthened bya web H to diminish its tendency to bend and sliding in a suitable guidein the trail shoe F of the gun carriage. In order that the spade may notjump out of the ground, owing to the vibrations during firing, and thatit may be kept at a suitable height when the gun is being transported,the web IT is serrated at its upper part I and with the teeth thusformed there engages a spring pawl K. Instead of this mode of retainingthe spade in place there may be used a simple wedge for the samepurpose. The length of the blade G is substantially tangential to thecircle having for its center the axis of the axle-tree J, so that thereis no difiiculty in withdrawing the blade from the round after firing.It is obvious that this sliding spade can also be added to the ordinaryform of spade, so as to provide a supplementary resistance in very softground. In certain urgent cases, the spade may project to some extentfrom the ground at first, like the ore dinary spade, and then be drivenhome more or less by striking its exposed head with a mallet. Thus it ispossible to give it a position appropriate for the resistance of theparticular ground. This spade has, moreover, the advantage that itprevents the gun carriage from being drawn forward during the return ofthe gun.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show the application of two blades G which are notprovided with the serrations and detent of the previous construc tion.The sliding trail spade G is first driven in to avoid verticaldisplacements, and the fixing of the piece is completed by one or twolateral blades N adapted to the lower hinged part of the gun carriageshield. This or these prevent lateral displacements. These lateralblades are parallel to the longitudinal bisecting vertical plane of thegun carriage and penetrate into the ground like a plowshare, and thusoppose lateral displacements.

As shown in Figs. 9 to 12, the lower part L of the shield is hinged totwo fixed arms M M keyed to the ends of the axle-treeJ. Thisarticulation of the shield allows the latter to be turned beneath acarriage during transport. In gun carriages which are rigidly connectedwith the axle-tree without sliding in the direction of the axis thereof,this lower shield may be hinged to the head of the car- 'tion as shownat L in full lines in Fig. 9.

riage. The lateral shield blade consists as shown in Fig. 11 of a bladeN arallel to the longitudinal bisecting vertica plane of the guncarriage and fixed to a hollow shank O which can slide in a hollowcylinder l? fixed to the shield L. A helical spring Qbears at one endagainst the end of the cylinder and at its other end against the bottomof the hollow shank, thus pressing the blade into the ground. A stop anda guide prevent-the socket of the blade from leaving the cylinder andalso from turning therein. The cylinder P is connected by a rope R to aspring device S fitted within the beam of the carria e. When the shieldL is turned back under the carriage for transport ithas the position Lshown in dotted lines in Fig. 9 and is he t therein by a hook T. Whenthe gun is to e fired,-the shield is unhooked and allowed to fall intothe position L also shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9. The gunners thenpush the carriage back a little in order that the shield may come into asubstantially vertical posithis position the lateral blade or blades diginto the soil. A mallet is then applied to the trail spade and thecarriage is thus anchored to the ground both by the trail spade and thelateral blades. A hen firing is over, the trail is raised to disengagethe trail spade from the ground, the gun carriage is pushed forward ashort distance so as to disengage the lateral blades, whereupon theshield can again be suspended beneath the carriage.

It is preferable to use two lateral blades, as illustrated in Fig. 13for example, instead of a single central blade, because the lateralblades being near the wheels are not likely to be above appreciablehollows or humps of ground, so that they need not have such a longstroke as is necessary in the case of a single central blade. Moreover,changes in the direction of firing cause the right or left wheel toadvance as the case may be, in such a manner that the lateral blades donot present any impediment to these changes of front. This arrangementof lateral blades on the shield may also be adapted to carriagesprovided with an ordinary trail spade as shown in Fig. 14. In this caseit is not necessary for the gunners to push the carriage backwardsbefore firing, as this will be effected automatically by the firing ofthe first round.

Having thus described the nature of this invention and the best means Iknow of carrying the same into practical effect, what I claim is V 1.The combinationwith'a wheeled gun carriage having a lower front shield,of devices for anchoring the carriage against rearward and lateralmovement and for insuring the stability of the piece at the beginning offiring and in the course thereof, said devices consisting of a trailspade adapted to be forced into the soil before firing and of lateralblades mounted on the sides of the lower front shield and presseddownward with an elastic pressure.

2. The combination with'a wheeled gun carriage having a trail shoe, of atrail spade adapted to slide in the trail shoe in a directionsubstantially normal to the direction of the beam of the carriage andhaving its head exposed to permit the drivingof it with a mallet. Y

3. The combination with a'wheeled gun carriage having a lower hingedshield and a trail shoe, of devices for anchoring the carriage againstrearward and lateral movement and for insuring the stability of the 4.The combination with a wheeled gun mounted on said shield and presseddowncarriage having a lower hinged shield and a Ward with an elasticressure. trail shoe, of devices for anchoring the car- In witnesswhereof I have hereunto signed riage against rearward and lateral movemyname this 27th day of August, 1907, in 5 ment andhfor insuringtlfrefistabiliq;1 of the the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

iece at t e be innin o rin an in tie ourse thereof, said d evicescoisisting of a JOSEPH ALBERT DEPORT' trail spade adapted to slide inthe trail shoe Witnesses: in a direction substantially at right anglesto H. C. COXE, 10 the direction of the beam and a lateral blade GABRIELBELLIARD.

